November Novel Challenge
by Depressed Chibi
Summary: For National Novel Month I'll be writing a 50,000 word collab. Most of which will be for the pairing Omi/Raimundo however, not all of it. But you have been warned. Please read my profile for more info.
1. Sluggish

Raimundo trudged out of his room and to the training grounds for morning exercises, he'd never been a morning person. Sadly, Master Fong was beginning to get the young dragons up earlier and earlier. Raimundo remembered Master Fung saying something about it being good for the soul and what not. Of course this never helped Raimundo, in fact getting up at the crack of dawn only made him more sluggish.

As Raimundo walked down the temple stairs in a zombie like state he missed a step and fell. Rai groaned in annoyance and pain. He was tired of being tired.

"Raimundo, my friend, what's wrong? You seem low," a cheerful voice said from above the wind dragon.

"You mean 'down'," Raimundo automatically corrected, use to the younger monk's word misuse. The Brazilian boy lied on the ground until a hand appeared before him. Raimundo took his friends hand and was pulled to his feet. "Tanks little dude," Raimundo thanked.

"What do you mean little?" Omi asked, slightly offended. It was true Omi was once very small, but the title didn't seem to fit the boy anymore. He had grown quite a bit over the past few years. Of course not extremely tall, Raimundo was still taller, but only by half an inch.

"Sorry, still a habit," Raimundo chuckled, giving Omi a playful punch in the arm.

"No worried my friend, you are forgiven," Omi said, smiling brightly. Omi patted his friend on the shoulder and trotted towards the training grounds.

Raimundo lightly touched his shoulder as he felt a warm sensation spread over him. He smiled and walked off to join his friends; a renewed energy replaced his old sluggish feelings.


	2. Unlace

The group of young Dragons entered the noisy mall. It was one of the rare days that no wu had appeared and Master Fung allowed the teenagers to have a day off. At first they had trouble deciding where to go, with such different ideas of fun it was almost impossible to make everyone happy.

That was, until Kimiko suggested the mall. There were plenty of clothing stores for her, an arcade for Raimundo, a western antique shop and buffet for Clay, and there was a variety of culture but it was small enough so Omi wouldn't get lost. The idea seemed perfect, it was ridiculous no one thought of it earlier.

Once decided they hoped on Dojo and he flew them over to a mall in Los Angeles; also decided by Kimiko. Which brings them to where they were now, entering a mall that seemed to touch the sky. It shined and voices echoed throughout the building, but Raimundo loved it. He missed the cities that reminded him of Rio.

"Okay guys, I don't want to hear any complaints from master Fung, so we're only spending a couple of hours here. Los Angeles isn't exactly around the corner you know, " Dojo complained before slithering up Raimundo's leg and resting on his shoulder.

"No worries Dojo, we'll be out before you know it," Raimundo said, patting the shrunken dragon on the head.

"Right, it only takes an hour to buy a new outfit," Kimiko confirmed.

"What do you mean, 'to buy a new outfit'?" Clay questioned, raising his hat.

"I thought we could all hit the clothing store first. Let's face it we could all use some new threads," Kimiko said innocently, waving her hand in her friends direction.

"Threads? But why would I need string?" Omi asked, still not up to date with the latest lingo.

"She means clothing, dude. You know, shirts, shoes, pants, that stuff," Rai clarified.

"Oh, most wonderful! We should get freezing strings," Omi cheered with a huge grin before marching off to the closest clothes store.

The others stayed put, confused at what their friend meant. Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo glanced at Raimundo for a translation.

"Cool threads," Raimundo stated. The others gave an 'oh' at the response before following their bald friend into a store.

Once they were in the large shop Kimiko seemed on a mission to find the perfect outfit for everyone. She began to rip through shuffles and racks, piling anything good she found on her teammates. It didn't take long to have a plentiful pile to chose from.

"Alright, Clay, you try on these," Kimiko ordered, shoving a small pile of fabrics into his arms. "And Omi, you try on these," Kimiko said before once again shoving clothes into the boy's hands. "Now, Raimundo, you-"

"I know, I know, try on these," Rai said, giving a dead pan expression as he picked up random pieces of an outfit.

Kimiko smiled and nodded before she pushed the three boys into separate dressing rooms. Dojo quickly slid off the Brazilian teen, letting him have his privacy. "I'll be in a changing room, but don't take off your outfit until I see it," Kimiko said, knowing her choices would look good on her friends.

Luckily Kimiko was the first one done, wearing a blue silk top with no sleeves and black tight jeans. She strutted out of the dressing room and twirled around, loving the new feeling.

"Wow, Kim, you look great," Dojo complimented, lounging on a comfy chair. Just then Clay walked out of his room dressed as a new man. He had on stylish new cowboy boots, a red plaid shirt, worn jeans and a black bandana around his neck to complete the look.

"Clay, lookin' good," Kimiko said, giving a smile and a thumbs up.

"I'll say, watch out Clay, the ladies won't be able to keep their paws off you," Dojo added.

"Shucks guys, I don't know. This get up makes me feel a little stupid," Clay muttered, his face blushing from the attention.

"Nonsense Clay, you look, as they say, like cold hips," Omi said, exiting his own changing room in a white button up shirt and black dress pants.

"Like what?" Clay asked, stumped at what Omi meant.

"Rai, translation please," Kimiko said, leaning closer to the closed door so he could hear her better.

"I think he meant 'like a cool hipster'," Raimundo shouted back.

"Thank you. Now hurry up, how long does it take to change?"

"Sorry, but this thing is like two sizes too small and it looks funny, where'd you get it?"

"In the store, duh," Kimiko mocked, as if it wasn't obvious.

"Well, either I got a shirt from your pile or you think I'm a puta," Raimundo grumbled, reverting back to his native tongue.

Omi raised his eyebrows, he wasn't fluent in Portuguese, but he heard the word used before when Rai would _dis_ about a girl.

"I'm sure you look fine, Rai. Get your butt out here," Kimiko ordered, sure her friend was just over reacting.

The moment Raimundo left the room his friends knew what he was talking about. His pants were normal jeans, but his shirt was a thin black t-shirt with a low v-neck that clung tightly around his body. Laces were sowed through the back of the shirt and fish nets were used for the sleeves.

Raimundo was never the most feminine person in the world, but the outfit he wore seemed to make any soft feature stand out. His eyes seemed greener, his lips looked softer and Omi couldn't keep his eyes off him. The young monk was barely aware that his friends began to talk again. Dojo and Clay seemed to be trying not to laugh while Kimiko looked apologetic. She kept touching a hand to her face and wincing.

Raimundo's face formed a scowl, his lips forming to a small pout. He started to yell at Clay and Dojo, claiming he didn't care about what they thought. Of course they started laughing a bit harder causing Kimiko to jab Clay in the ribs and bop Dojo on the head. She gave one last apologetic look before giving a small bow and tearing through the pile of clothes to look for something more fitting for the tan boy.

For the first time since Raimundo came out he glanced at Omi and soon his frustrated expression turned into one of worry. "You okay, little dude?" Raimundo asked, waving a hand in front of Omi's face.

"Wha?"

"I said, are you okay?" Raimundo asked again, waving a hand in front of Omi's face.

"Y-yea, why wouldn't I be?" Omi said quickly, trying to recover from zoning out. Raimundo gave him a I'll-let-it-go-for-now scowl before he turned back to Kimiko and gathered the new clothes. Raimundo thanked her before entering the small room once again. Omi watched his friend close the door, but he couldn't get the image out of his mind. Not specificity the whole outfit, but the dark delicate laces. Not about what they looked like on the Brazilian boy, but how they would look unlaced.


	3. Protect

"Are you trying to be sly? Is this some kind of game to you?" Chase Young growled, kicking the boy on the ground with every question. Not that the tan teen could do much harm, Chase had already made sure of that.

Raimundo groaned, it felt like his insides were on fire. Actually, it felt like his whole body was on fire and with each kick brought renewed pain.

"Are you trying to be some kind of wise guy?" Chase growled.

Hearing that sentences made Raimundo smirk, however painful it was; he couldn't help himself. Chase saw this and narrowed his gaze before grabbing a fist full of Rai's shirt and violently yanking the boy up. "What are you smiling at?"

Raimundo thought about it; it was a very good question. Why _was_ he smiling? He was getting beaten half to death by the _prince of evil_ and he found the situation hilarious. The more he thought about it the bigger his smile became. Soon Raimundo's small smirk became a full blown grin.

Chase seemed offended by the way the young dragon was acting. He shook the smaller boy and growled, more angry than before. "Are you trying to be a smart guy?"

In that moment Raimundo knew exactly what was so funny and if he wasn't sure his broken ribs would puncture his lungs he would have laughed. Instead he smiled and did the best he could to look the menacing foe in the eye. "Ya' keep callin' me smart, but comin' here alone wasn't a wise choice," Raimundo rasped, his words almost forming together from uneven breaths.

Chase growled at the teen's response before pulling Raimundo and kneeing him in the stomach. Raimundo puked blood on the older boy's shoes before he was slammed to the stone ground.

"No, you're right, it wasn't smart for you to come storming into my lair, challenging me-mockomg me! And to do this all alone," Chase barked, tired of the insolent monk. His tone lightened as did his expression when Chase looked down at the broken teen. He knelled down next to the young boy. "However I must commemorate you for such bravery,"

Raimundo spat blood at Chase, but from the ground he could get nothing more than his shoes. Chase ignored the disrespectful act and continued. "Now what is it that you want, I'm afraid I was so busy kicking your ass I hadn't had time to ask,"

"Omi...," Raimundo rasped, his voice incredibly weak.

"Ah, yes, that talented monk. What, did he get my letter requesting him to join the Heylin side?"

"You mean forcing," Raimundo rasped, his voice no more than a whisper.

"So, he did get it. Did, _big brother_ not approve?" Chase asked, mockingly. When he was answered with silence the larger boy continued. "So what, you've joined the dark side before,"

"Stupid mistake,"

"Maybe for you, but I say we let Omi decided on his own," Chase said a bit cockily.

"Not gonna happen" Raimundo whispered with a smirk.

"And why not?" Chase asked, humoring the boy.

"...no letter,"

"What?" Chase asked, confused. Slowly Raimundo moved his arm the best he could, reaching into his pocket. Carefully he pulled out a now blood smeared letter. Chase took the letter from Raimundo and was shocked to see it was the very letter he sent. Omi hadn't even seen it.

Fueled by a new fire Chase grabbed Rai's wrist and bent it back until he heard and sicking _crack_ followed by a blood curtailing scream.

"He's not a child, he can make decision on his own. So, why did you take this?" Chase shouted over Rai's screams of pain.

"O-omi's good, but naïve, he'll do a-nything for friends and make huge mistakes," Raimundo growled, gasping between words.

"But why come here? You're only proving my point,"

"I'm here to tell you to stop," Raimundo said in a rushed breath, still writhing in pain from the broken wrist.

"You're half dead, what good is your threat?"

"I need to protect him,"

"Your only hurting yourself," Chase said, his voice becoming softer, trying to understand the pathetic boy.

"I _will_ protect him," Raimundo repeated, his words sounding more desperate. He wanted to protect his friend to the very end and if that meant dying to get his point acrossed he would do it in a heartbeat.

Chase frowned, he was older then he looked and in his life he'd seen more than his fair share of love. However, nothing that he'd seen up to this point compared to the passion he saw burning in the monk's eyes. If he'd ever seen love before this was it. Chase sighed, his anger seemed to melt away with such thoughts. A pity what love could do.

"I will not give up on getting Omi to join the Heylin side," Chase said, determined.

Raimundo struggled to get to his feet, ready to beat Chase to a bloody pulp if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't move. Chase put his hand up, hopping to stop the boy from injuring himself any further. When Raimundo saw he had no ill intent he stopped struggling, but kept his guard up.

"However, I respect you and shall not make a move until you are completely healed," Chase swore.

Raimundo stared up at Chase in shock, could the strongest bad guy be willing to let him go just like that? Chase touched his fingers to his lips and blew causing a whistle to echo through his chambers. In the blink of an eye tigers and lions surrounded them and one approached Raimundo. The Brazilian teen thought he was going to be eaten alive until he heard Chase give out orders.

"Take him to the Xiaolin Temple and be sure not to be noticed," Chase commanded. With that the closest tiger lowered itself to allow Raimundo to climb on comfortably. Chase neatly folded the bloody letter before he shoved it into one of Raimundo's pockets without him noticing. He then patted the tiger and it began to leap away.

"You are strong, Raimundo, don't allow emotions to cloud your judgment and you will be a fine warrior," Chase said, his words echoing not only throughout the cave, but in Raimundo's head before he let the conscious world slip and he fell into darkness.


	4. Anger

Omi moved through his stances fluidly, as if all his thoughts were being concentrated into practicing right. However, that couldn't have been further from the truth. On the outside Omi seemed together and fine, but on the inside he was a complete mess. The reason for that was Raimundo.

The dragon of the wind had been acting strangely all day yesterday and vanished late last night. Now it was mid afternoon and he had still not reappeared. Omi was use to Rai doing sudden things and disappearing, but usually there would be a note or it would be after Raimundo had a fight with one of his fellow monks or Master Fung.

This time there was nothing, no note, no post it, no call, nothing. He hadn't even had the slightest argument the day. In fact Raimundo seemed to be acting exceptionally nice. Especially to Omi.

All of this had said monk very worried. All of the monks were worried, but they tried to go on with their day, hopping the teen would appear. Still, a nagging in Omi's gut told him that something wasn't right.

Omi's thoughts were disrupted by one of the older Masters racing through the bushes and acrossed the yard. "Master Fung, Master Fung," he old man cried urgently.

"What's the matter, Onchi?" Master Fung asked, raising his eyebrows at the odd behavior.

"We've found the wind dragon," The man announced, bowing quickly to show respect.

Omi immediately perked up at these words. Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo showed their attention to Onchi as well. "You have found Raimundo?" Omi asked excitedly, completely forgetting about what he was suppose to be doing.

It seemed that the old Master had not been aware of the other presences until now. He gave Omi a hard stare, as if debating whether or not they should hear. "Yes...," Onchi answered hesitantly.

"That's excellent news," Master Fung stated.

"Unfortunately the situation is anything but," the man replied, turning his attention back to Master Fung.

It only took but a seconded for Master Fung to realize something was definitely wrong. "Onichi, what kind of problem is it?" he asked, clearly nervous. However Onichi only winced, as if to painful to even speak of. "Kimiko, get a medical kit and wait in Raimundo's room. Clay, I want you to get a a clean blanket from the supplies closet, then find me. Omi, you assist Kimiko and clear space for us in Rai's room."

"But, Master Fung-" Omi began, wanting to see his friend.

"That was an order," Master Fung said, urgency in his voice. At once the teens dispersed and the old Master followed his comrade.

…

Omi waited anxiously in his friend's room along side with Kimiko. The young girl tried many times to say that Rai would be fine; he was tough.

But Omi couldn't put his mind at rest, it seemed like ages since the news of Raimundo's arrival. With each passing second the monk became more and more on edge. It was only when Omi was about to loss it when foot steps could be heard coming from the hallway. Not a moment latter the two teens saw Clay and Master Fung slowly make their way in, each holding a side of a blanket. Omi stared at them in confusion, where was Rai?

Once the student and older master entered the room they made a bee line for the bed. When they got close enough they carefully set the item down on the soft cushion. It was then that Omi saw what it was that they were carrying. It _was_ Raimundo.

Omi felt his entire world come to a halt as he stared at the shattered remains of what was once a beautiful boy. Blood was dripping off him as if he was dunked in an entire tub of it. His clothes wore torn and body was bruised. Omi wasn't even sure if the boy was still alive.

As that single thought ran through his head he felt his blood turn to ice. Raimundo's skin was pale; at least the amount of skin not stained in red. As far as the young monk could tell it didn't look like he was breathing. "I-is h-he...?" Omi stuttered, unable to finish his thought.

No one spoke, whether it was because Omi was hadn't spoken loud enough or because no one was certain; the young monk didn't want to know. Master Fung was the first to break the silence, giving orders as to what to do.

Omi was quickly brought out of his thoughts when someone shouted at him. "Wha?" Omi said, it was the only thing he could say.

"Get a bucket of warm water," Mast Fung said quickly.

Master Fung was giving out orders? That meant Raimundo was still alive. With that Omi rushed out the door and retrieved some warm water. He could still make it!

…

It took several hours. Several hours of wiping away dirt and blood, wrapping up broken limps, jotting down every injury. The entire time Omi felt cold sweat run down his neck. Unbearable fear bared down on him, but now that his friend was wrapped from head to toe the only thing Omi felt was anger.

The young monk was never the one to resort to anger often, at least that's what he liked to think. But seeing this made his blood boil. What kind of monster could do this to his friend? Omi sat at the side of Raimundo's bed, watching him lie unconscious. His hands formed into tight fists. If he ever found out who did this there would be hell to pay.


	5. Promise

_What's going on? What happened?_ Those were the two main questions floating around in Raimundo's head as he was slowly brought back to the conscious world. He couldn't remember anything let alone how he ended up here. Where ever here was.

When Rai opened his eyes it was pitch black. Without sight he couldn't tell where he was although the soft bed he was lying on told him that it was nothing to worry about. Which was a good thing because he was in such a dazed state he wouldn't be able to fight off an attacker.

Instead of vainly trying to figure out where he was he tried to recall what had happened. He remembered traveling somewhere, but after that it was a blur. The dull pounding in his head wasn't helping either. In fact, there was small surges of pain through out his entire body. Raimundo decided he defiantly needed to get his shit together.

As he tried to move his hand so he could rub his head Raimundo found his appendage pinned. "Wha?" the teen groaned, his voice coming out horse and barley audible.

Rai gave his hand another weak tug, but again something held it in place. As he tried to focus on what was gripped onto his hand he found the feeling familiar. Raimundo moved his fingers experimentally and was surprised to brush against what felt like fingers. Now he was more then confused.

"Raimundo..." a tired voice mumbled. The voice was dripping with exhaustion, but that didn't fool the Brazilian, he'd have known that voice anywhere.

"Omi," Raimundo whispered. As the name fell from his lips Rai was surprised how his own voice sounded. It was horse and his throat was so dry; it hurt to speak. How long was he out?

Although the noise was soft the young monk seemed to stir from his sleep. He mumbled a few words before rubbing his eyes and glancing around. However, it appeared Omi didn't notice it was the teen under him that called his name. Not wanting to speak, Rai tightened his hold on Omi's hand.

Immediately Omi's head whipped around and his eyes shot wide open. "R-raimundo?" Omi asked. Unsure if he was mistaken, but the hand still holding his own told him otherwise.

"Hey, little dude," Rai whispered, trying to smile, but it ended up as a grimace. Luckily Omi couldn't see the other boy's face because of the darkness.

However, Raimundo could still see the other's eyes light up and a huge smile to appear on his lips. Omi dived down and wrapped his arms around the tan teen's shoulders in an embracing hug.

Rai gasped sharply as pain shot through his body from the touch. Omi quickly retreated, apologizing furiously.

"It's okay, Omi, not much more you can do," Raimundo said, gripping the side of the bed until the pain dimmed. The comment was meant to be lighthearted, but the small monk only became quiet. Tension filled the air as Omi stood and turned on the room's light.

Rai winced at the blinding light and attempted to shield his eyes with his hand. He stopped midway when he saw a white cast on his wrist. Slowly he dropped his arm and turned his attention back to Omi.

"What happened?" Rai asked, perplexed about how he had gotten in such condition.

"That would be something I was hopping you could tell me," Omi answered, sadness filling his eyes.

Raimundo frowned as he tried to pick at his memory, but came up with little. Maybe with time he could remember more, but for now it was one big painful blur. Rai glanced at his friend who seemed to have gotten the idea.

With a frown Omi handed his friend a glass of water and helped the boy sit up. Omi considered calling in his master and teammates, but he wanted a little more time alone with his friend.

Raimundo gratefully drank down the heavenly water. He had downed about half of the cup before his thoughts were pulled away from his thirst and back to his friend.

"I'm sorry," Omi whispered, starring at the blankets on Rai's bed. The Brazilian almost didn't hear the monk, but was able to understand from the look on his face.

"Sorry for what? It wasn't your fault," Rai said, while he placed the half empty cup on a nearby nightstand.

"I should have known something was wrong. I have failed you, as a friend," Omi said shamefully, he lowered his his head and stared at the floor.

Rai frowned, he had no idea how he had gotten in such a condition, but he was sure Omi had no part in it. He knew Omi would never willingly hurt him. "Omi-,"

"I will tell the others. I'm sure they will be very happy," Omi said, a fake smile planted on his face. The shorter monk tried to leave, but Rai was quicker. The Brazilian took hold of Omi's hand, keeping the boy in place. Raimundo opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. What was there left to say?

"I won't let anyone hurt you again," Omi whispered. Rai was surprised the other boy spoke, he hadn't really been expecting that. Omi's hand tightened around the other's, but he refused to look back. "I'm not sure why it hurts this much when I see you hurt, but it does. So, I'm not going to ever let t happen again, I promise."

With those words Raimundo's hand loosened his grip and Omi walked out of the room. Rai could feel his cheeks become hotter, he was sure he was blushing. No one had ever said something like that to him.


End file.
